A little more than a week has passed since I set My Dear Forest free into the world – at Anjazz, Hamar Jazz Festival. The piece was commissioned by Anja Kathrine Tomter, who founded the festival, and the concert marked the 20th anniversary of Anjazz.
Two years of work—writing lyrics, composing music, shaping string arrangements—culminated in that one evening on stage. This thing has lived with me, in one form or another, almost every day for nearly two years. And suddenly, there it was: alive, breathing, moving.
The piece is fueled by a deep sense of ecological grief – it began with the shock and anger I felt when the small forest near my childhood home was clear-cut a few years ago. That moment hit hard, and since then, forest protection has become a personal cause for me. So when I was asked to create this piece, there was no hesitation: this was the theme I wanted to build the music around. It became the driving force behind both the sound and the lyrics.
I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to bring it to life.
Live Maria Roggen – one of my closest musical companions for the last 16 years. She threw herself into this with everything she had – heart, soul, skin and bone – and was an invaluable sparring partner throughout the process. And in the end, she sang these songs in a way no one else ever could.
Helge Norbakken – what a force. He plays with his whole body, and listens like it’s the only thing that matters. Sometimes I felt like he was inside my head.
Terje Johannes – a quiet storm of a musician, with guitar or trumpet in hand, always searching for what’s essential. He doesn’t waste a single note.
Mats Eilertsen – grounding everything with that singing bass tone of his. He makes everyone else sound better, without ever drawing focus. Just pure depth.
And then Orkester Innlandet, led by Atle Sponberg – fearless, intense, completely in it. They threw themselves into the music and lifted the roof at Hamar Teater.
Lastly, Asle Karstad – a dear friend, and one of the finest sound engineers I know. He was our translator, shaping the space so the audience could feel what we felt. He had great support from Louise Lavoll, who handled the sound check and made sure everything was properly recorded.
Eivind Strømstad at Hamar Teater did a beautiful job with the lighting, and was part of an amazing team that took such good care of us during our time there.
A huge thanks to Helene Eggen and the rest of the Anjazz team for a wonderful festival!
Now I’m going to take a moment to breathe, take some time off, and then start figuring out the next steps for this project. There’s no doubt in my mind – this music needs to be released, and it needs to be played live again. Stay tuned for good news.
